Highway 20 Ride
by cncgrad02
Summary: Gabriella has never needed friends in her life more than she has in the past two years. Now that her nightmare is coming to a close, she can take time to fully appreciate the people in her life. Written for the ZA Angels write off.


A/N: Hello, all! First of all, to those of you who have been reading What the Future Holds, I just want to thank you for your patience. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it. I just am trying to get the story finished before I post anything else on it. I can't promise how long that will take, so stick with me; don't give up on it! It will be back!

Secondly, I want to tell you that this one-shot is going to be a part of one of my future stories. It will be the last chapter, an epilogue of sorts. I don't know when the rest of this story will be written. It will take me time to write it as the story that this chapter will go with is partially autobiographical. It will be based on some very serious, very frightening events that happened in my family. To my own daughter, in fact, when she was 3. I have to take my time in writing this story, because the monsters are still- 2 years later- very real to me. So with that being said, please be respectful and don't ask me "when will this story be up", because I won't have an answer. All I can say is look for "Fight of Her Life" to be posted in the future.

This chapter is written for the most recent ZA Angels write off theme. I do not own High School Musical or any of the characters, nor do I own "Highway 20 Ride", by Zac Brown Band.

"_**And I drive and I think about my life  
And wonder why that I slowly die inside  
Every time I turn that truck around  
Right at the Georgia line  
And I count the days  
And the miles back home to you  
On that Highway 20 ride... **_

_**It was the pleasure of my life and I cherished every time. **_

_**And my whole world, it begins and ends with you on that highway 20 ride."**_

She sat on the hard, wooden bench in the corridor- trying hard to keep her legs from nervously twitching and her hands from shaking violently- as she watched her best friend and attorney pace in front of her, her cell phone held close to her ear. Her eyes anxiously followed every step Taylor took as she listened to her end of the conversation. From what she could tell, it must have been Chad on the other end.

"Yeah, we're upstairs... No, they haven't called our case in yet... She's doing okay, considering, I think. I mean, she's as tense as you can imagine she would be. This is the biggest day of her life for her-" Taylor paused in her pacing as she caught the frightened look on Gabriella's face and sighed. "Okay, Chad, you know what? Just find somewhere to park and you guys come on up. I think I need to do some damage control, so we'll see you two in a few minutes... Okay, great. Then meet up with her and you all come on. I know Gabriella will be happy that she's here, too."

Taylor hung up and looked at the spot on the bench where Gabriella had been sitting, only to find it bare. She looked around and found her client standing at the railing that overlooked the first floor lobby below them, leaning over with her arms resting on top as she looked out into the space in front of her. Taylor walked over to her and sighed.

"That was Chad."

"I gathered," Gabriella said softly.

"He and Troy are here. They're just trying to park and will be up here in a few minutes."

"Okay," she told Taylor mindlessly, still focused out into the unknown. She couldn't seem to get her thoughts in order today.

"He also said that they saw Sharpay in the parking lot, so she'll be here, too."

"That's good. I need all the people I can get here on my side today." Gabriella turned and walked back to the bench, sighing heavily as she sat down. Even though she was having a hard time showing it, it meant a lot to her that- despite the fact she had told them they didn't need to- her friends were coming down to the courthouse to be with her on this particular day.

Taylor's heart broke as she witnessed Gabriella's own heartbreak. This was one of the most important days in Gabriella's life and the life of her daughter, but if Taylor was going to win this case on her behalf, she needed Gabriella to be focused on the possible positive outcome and not the possible negative one. That was Taylor's job as her attorney- to see this case from all angles. She took a breath and sat down next to her client.

"Hey," she started. "I know you're in that 'what if' place, but listen- as your attorney speaking- I've gotta tell you that I really need you to focus right now. Okay? Don't worry about what Simon Mitchell will do in that courtroom. All of those tricks that he may or may not have up his sleeve... right now, they don't exist. Do you hear me? You and I, we're a force to be reckoned with. We're going to go in that courtroom and blow them away with our ability to win this case. You've got me, Chad, Sharpay, the Boltons, your mom... more importantly, you've got Troy... We're all on your side. Do you hear me, Gabriella Montez? You're going to walk into that courtroom with your head held high and walk out of there with full custody of your daughter." Taylor reached up to wipe away a tear that was slowly making its way down Gabriella's cheek. "You and Cade had your mediation. You two have an agreement on the table and you've both signed it. We're here today to present it to the judge and have it signed and finalized."

"But what if he's changed his mind? What if the agreement we came up with two weeks ago isn't good enough for his _mom_-" she said with her voice laced with disgust at the mention of her former mother-in-law "-and all of a sudden, he wants to proceed? You know that's how he is, Taylor. You know they're very capable of that!"

"If that happens, then we proceed with the case the way we have been. If that happens, Alana stays with you until the case is over. The longer she's with you, the better for you. Have I not been telling you this from the beginning?" When Gabriella slowly nodded, Taylor continued. "I know that you're very much concerned about that, but Sweetie, it's not your job to be; it's mine. It's your job to make sure you keep yourself together. If you let Cade see you sweat and he knows that you're scared, he's going to use that and run it into the ground and walk over you. He can use that to show how insecure you are and how that's not being a fit parent. Do you see what I mean? It is totally in your best interest right now to take a deep breath and show everyone how strong you are, okay?" Another nod from her client prompted Taylor to continue. "Good. Now, go into the bathroom and fix yourself. When you come back, I bet the guys will be here."

"Or I could wait until Sharpay gets here and use some of her makeup to touch up my face," Gabriella joked.

"There's my girl. Using her humor to convince herself that it's all okay."

Gabriella smiled for the first time that morning when she recognized the voice that instantly made her feel better. The two friends looked up to find Chad and Troy standing in front of them and Gabriella stood to allow herself to be wrapped tight in Troy's arms, taking every ounce of comfort that he offered her. When he released her, it was Chad's turn to hug her tight.

"Mom and Dad called. They're on their way," Troy told her. Gabriella's nod and faraway, distant look was a silent clue to him- one that he had always been able to read. "Hey," he called out, trying to get her attention and continued when she looked at him. "C'mere. Let's walk for a minute."

"Do we have time?" Gabriella asked Taylor, turning to face her.

"Yeah, we've got time," Taylor said after checking her watch. "They're running behind today, anyway. Don't go far, though."

"We'll be back in a few minutes. We're just going to get some air," Troy told her as he held a hand out for Gabriella to pull her by his side, only to drop it as they walked down the corridor in the direction of the bank of elevators and the two settled for walking side by side. As the two walked off, Chad and Taylor watched, loving the sight of the couple, together again after the almost nine year speed bump that they had encountered which started during their junior year of college.

"It's so good to see that again," Taylor commented to her boyfriend, nodding in the direction of the two best friends.

"It really is. I just wish it didn't have to take something like this hell for them to find their way back," Chad told her as put his arm across her shoulder and he kissed her temple after taking a quick look around to make sure no one was watching. He knew she hated public displays of affection- other than when he held her hand- and was very mindful of the fact that they were at the courthouse and she was working. He led her back to the bench and the two sat down side by side.

"So what are your thoughts about today?" Chad asked after a moment of silence, changing the subject to the reason why they were downtown on this particular day.

Taylor turned to face him and sighed before answering. "I really don't know. I usually can find some clues of some sort, but this time... Mitchell hasn't contacted me at all in the past two weeks. There's no way of knowing anything about which direction this will go and I think that's what has Gabriella so on edge. She's so worried and terrified that Cade and his family will try to show their demanding, controlling side and the agreement they both signed during their mediation will become null and void and he'll want to proceed with the quest for full custody."

"Well, maybe Troy can work his magic," Chad told her.

"I hope so," Taylor commented, just as Sharpay stepped off the elevator, joined by the Boltons and Gabriella's mom.

"What did we miss?" Maria asked Taylor, panicking slightly. "Are we late?"

"No, you're not," Taylor reassured her as she stood to give the newcomers a hug. "Our case hasn't been called yet; they're running behind in there."

"Where's Cade?" Sharpay asked, her tone laced with noticed dislike.

"That's actually a bit of good news," Taylor started. "Neither him nor his attorney are here yet. If our case gets called and neither of them show..."

"Then Gabriella wins by default," Jack Bolton supplied, filling in the blanks for the rest of the group.

"Exactly," Taylor told him with a nod.

"Well, then here's hoping they're both a no show. Or at least Cade himself," Chad said, earning agreement from the rest of the group.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy led Gabriella to the benches located several yards from the glass doors. The couple sat down and when he looked up, he spotted his parents and Maria Montez standing near the doors of the courthouse, watching them. He waved, silently telling them to go on in and that he and Gabriella would be join them in a few minutes, before he turned to face her.

The first thought he had when he looked at Gabriella's face was how shockingly pale it was , especially her dull eyes which were normally a sparkling brown. Her normal soldier-like posture was now compromised with slumped shoulders, as if she was carrying the weight of the whole world on them. Her chin- and thereby her whole head- was sinking lower and lower, making it harder as each moment passed for her to hold it high and proud.

_This is not the Gabriella that I've known and loved, _Troy kept repeating over and over to himself. He shook his head to clear that thought from his mind before giving his pep talk.

"Hey?" he said, trying to get her attention. When she still didn't focus on him, he snapped his fingers and spoke with a little bit more force than usual- the same force he sometimes used with the group of boys he coached.

"Brie! Look at me!" She slowly turned to face him without a word. When it became clear that he had her attention, Troy softened his tone and continued. "You don't have to say anything, but I want you to listen, okay?" He waited to see her nod for him to keep going, but when he didn't receive one, he sighed and tried a different approach.

"Gabriella, I'm going to say this one time. You better snap out of this! Do you hear me?" Troy said, raising his voice again to make sure she heard him. "You are about to go in there and fight for your daughter! For her sake, you have got to stay focused! She should be your main focus today, not your self doubt. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" When Troy noticed Gabriella's eyes filling with tears, he knew that he had finally broken through to her.

"Alana..." she cried, finally letting all the emotions out that she had been holding in for so long.

"...is going to be fine," Troy finished for her as he pulled her to him, allowing her tears to fall on his shoulder. "Now that I have your attention, listen to me, okay?" This time, she did nod. Smiling slightly, Troy continued. "Good. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and focus on Alana. You're here today for her. You're going to take a deep breath and calm yourself down." He watched as Gabriella did as he instructed. "Good girl. Nice and slow. Good," he repeated over and over, breathing along with her." Suddenly, Troy chuckled as he remembered something from their past.

"Hey, do you remember our senior year, right before we took the stage in the musical, after we came running in late?"

Gabriella smiled as she thought back on that memory. "We were late because we drove that stupid white truck of yours all the way from San Francisco. I'm surprised we got it to start again after we stopped for gas in Flagstaff!"

"Hey!" Troy interjected, keeping up the pretense of being insulted.

"Two and a half hours, Troy! I'm just sayin'..." Gabriella said with a slight shake of her head, working hard to hide her giggles.

"Show Rusty some respect, will ya?" Troy was working hard to keep his laughter at bay as well. "He was very special to us. He got us out of some very messy situations."

"We were so close to home, yet still so far away..." Gabriella mused and smiled slightly, still lost in her memory.

"Not the point I'm trying to make here, woman!" Troy narrowed his eyes and smiled, glad that she was finding humor in the little things on this day. "My point is... do you remember the two minutes leading up to when we took the stage?"

"Hmmm... I think so, but could you be more specific?"

"I was freaking out, couldn't breathe... borderline hyperventilating. Is this ringing a bell to you?"

"Oh, yeah! It is! You were so pale knowing that those people from Julliard were there. I was just about to try and find a paper bag for you when Ryan walked up," Gabriella told him, on the verge of laughter.

"Do you remember what you told me, though?" he pushed.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't. What did I tell you?"

"Well, now I'm just offended," Troy picked at her. "You mean you don't remember the pep talk you gave me that night?"

"Troy, between tutoring you for your exams, being at every single game you played no matter how far away it was, cheering you up among all the stress of the scouts, and all the college applications, I gave you a lot of pep talks that year. I'm sorry that I don't remember every detail of every talk. Please forgive me," Gabriella said sarcastically, defending herself as the two started laughing.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you... this time," he said with a wink. "But what you told me is something I'll always remember, and I'm going to repeat it and tell it to you right here, right now. Are you ready?" When she nodded, he continued. "You told me that aside from your dad, I am one of the strongest people you know and that you're very proud of me, regardless of the outcome of that performance. Do you remember that?"

"I do," she told him with a nod. "I've always admired your strength, Troy."

"Well, guess what, Gabriella? Watching you through this whole ordeal this past year and a half, I've come to realize that you-" he touched her nose, causing her smile to grow- "are one of the strongest people that I know and I admire the strength you've displayed. Despite the outcome of what happens in that building over there, I will always be proud of you. I'll be proud of the way you held your head high, the fight you put up, the confidence you've exuded... The way you handled yourself will always be something I'll admire. You have raised an extremely beautiful young lady and you will continue to do so. That jackass Cade has nothing on you, do you hear me? You're going to go in that courtroom and blow them away with your charm and confidence while he makes them sick with his arrogance. You two have an agreement. All you need is for the judge to sign it. You win!"

"But there's a chance that he'll decide he doesn't want all of that after all and he wants to continue as planned with the trial," Gabriella reminded him, speaking above the tears that had gathered in her eyes during Troy's speech.

"Brie, that jackass doesn't want custody any more than you want to give it to him. And I am so incredibly happy that I'm going to be there to finally watch him go down and walk out with his tail between his legs, licking his wounds."

Gabriella took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Troy, thank you so much for telling me all that."

"It's true," he said, as he reached up to brush back a curl that was blowing in the wind and tuck it behind her ear. "Did I cheer you up?"

"You did, thank you." She paused as she tiptoed up to give him a quick peck to his lips before speaking again. "I'm ready to go in there now and just get it all over with, put it all behind me."

"Good, then my job for today is done. Good luck, I adore you, and I'll see you later this afternoon," he joked as he stood up from bench and started to walk off in the direction of the parking lot.

"Excuse me, sir! I don't think so! You're not getting off that easy today!" Gabriella said with a laugh. Troy laughed, too, then came back and offered his hand to help her stand from the bench. When she did, she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed while Troy leaned down to place a soft, loving kiss to the top of her head.

"Come on. Let's get back inside. I promised Taylor I wouldn't keep you long," Troy said, as he led her back in the direction of the courthouse. When they approached the door, Gabriella stopped in her tracks, spotting her ex-husband's attorney standing a few feet in front of them talking on his cell phone.

"Hey," she pulled on Troy's arm, bringing him to a stop. "Right there. That's Cade's attorney."

Troy followed her eyes and noticed the man that she was referring to. "Where's Cade?" he asked.

"No clue," she told him. "He's probably waiting until the last possible second so he can make his appearance."

"A male Sharpay."

"Something like that. He's such a drama queen sometimes. Come on, let's get inside before I lose my courage." Troy reached out to take her hand and led her inside.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As they stood by the elevators waiting on one to open, Gabriella felt a presence beside her. She turned her gaze to her right and saw Simon Mitchell standing beside her, typing furiously away on his Blackberry. She fought the urge to roll her eyes and turned back to the elevator when she heard it ding, praying that he was too engrossed in the device to notice the elevator when it arrived, only to let out a sigh of relief when the door closed holding just her and Troy.

When the elevator stopped on the third floor and she and Troy got off, they turned the corner and were greeted by the sight of the group that had grown in their absence.

"Mom!" Gabriella called as she ran into her mother's embrace.

"Oh, Sweetheart. How are you doing?" Maria asked, as she hugged her daughter.

"I'm better now," she said, as she turned her focus on Troy, watching as he hugged his own mother and shook his dad's hand. "Thank you all for coming," she said, addressing the group. "It means a lot that you're all here."

"Girl, you know we'd be here for you. We all love you and want to be here to watch you stomp that smug little ass into the ground and rebury him in the hole from which he crawled," Sharpay said as she reached out to rub a comforting hand down Gabriella's back.

"Speaking of," Troy started, "we saw Cade's attorney downstairs."

"Any sign of Cade?" Taylor asked.

"No, not yet," Troy responded. "Is that a good thing?"

"Could be," she told him.

"Good morning, Taylor."

The group turned in the direction from where the voice came and found Simon Mitchell standing there. Taylor broke free from the center of the group and approached her colleague and- on this day- her enemy, holding her hand out.

"Simon. It's good to see you." Simon reached for her hand and the two shook amicably.

"You as well. Could we talk for a moment?" Gabriella and her group of supporters watched as Taylor walked over to the bench where her briefcase was resting and grabbed her legal pad and a pen before she and Simon walked several feet away to converse. Gabriella sighed and sat down next to Chad on the bench that she occupied earlier.

"What do you suppose is going on?" Chad asked.

"I'm not quit sure, but it looks like a deal of some sort," Lucille spoke up as she narrowed her eyes, watching carefully as the two interacted, trying to make out what was going on.

The group watched as Taylor and Simon talked, all silently praying that the outcome would be a positive one. Finally, just when Gabriella thought she was either going to pull her hair out or wear a hole in the floor from her nervous pacing the, two attorneys shook hands and started to walk back in their direction. Taylor gave a small thumbs up in front of her body so Simon couldn't see and rejoined the group. She waited until Simon was out of earshot before she started telling everyone about her meeting.

"See you in a few, Taylor," he said as he passed.

"Okay, Simon. Thank you." Once he was further down the hall, Taylor turned to face Gabriella. "Okay, girl, are you ready for this one?"

"Um, I don't know. Am I?" Gabriella asked, swallowing nervously and wringing her hands in her lap.

Troy sensed the seriousness in Taylor's voice and sat on the other side of Gabriella, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one. Let's move down to one of the conference rooms so we can talk in private."

Taylor gathered her briefcase and led the way down the hall, while the others followed. Once they were all in the room, Taylor closed the door and placed her briefcase on the table, picking up the legal pad that she was just taking her notes on.

"Okay, so do you remember the mediation from two weeks ago?" she started.

"You mean the wasted six hours of my day? The day that absolutely nothing got accomplished because my daughter's father is such a selfish-" Gabriella stopped mid rant and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. She let it out slowly and opened her eyes. "You know what? I'm sorry. Yeah, I remember the mediation. What about it?"

Taylor reached into her briefcase and pulled out a packet of paper and held it up for all to see.

"Gabriella, what is this?" she asked, handing the packet to Gabriella for her to have a closer look.

"It's a copy of the agreement from the mediation. The one that I was ready to sign but Cade wasn't."

"Well, guess what, Sister. He signed it," Taylor told her with a smug look on her face.

"What?" Gabriella asked for verification, her voice a near whisper.

"He signed it. It's almost over."

"I'm sorry, but I'm confused. What does this mean?" Sharpay asked, as she stepped forward to try and sneak a peak at the documents.

"Well, Sharpay, this is good news for Gabriella. Cade isn't going to be coming today because he's apparently had a change of heart regarding custody. This-" Taylor said, as she flipped to the back page on her legal pad and pulled out a separate sheet of paper and held it up for all parties in the room to see "-is his affidavit stating his reasons for not being here and giving his consent to the points in the agreement."

"I knew he never wanted custody of Alana. He just wanted to rear his ugly head and prove a point," Maria spoke up.

"He's happy with the points that the two of you never could settle on during the mediation. This affidavit is his way of saying that he's relenting on his desire for custody and he agrees to the terms of the mediation."

"So I win?" Gabriella asked in disbelief

"You win, Sweetheart," Taylor told her with a smile.

"Oh, thank you, Lord," Gabriella whispered, allowing the tears to freely fall.

Everyone in the room gave out a collective sigh of relief and Maria came around the table to wrap her arms around her daughter.

"It's over, Mija. She stays home."

"Now, we do still have to go before the judge to get it approved and signed off on, but yes, Alana does stay home. Gabriella, I need you to look over the proposed settlement and sign it. If you have any questions about what's in it, now is the time to ask them," Taylor announced as she passed Gabriella the settlement that Simon handed her earlier in the hall.

Gabriella read over the agreement, asked the appropriate questions, signed it where required, and passed it back to Taylor just as they heard the bailiff calling their case.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The mood at the Boltons' house that evening was beyond joyous. After the hearing earlier that morning, Lucille had insisted that everyone reconvene at their house for a celebration dinner. She would make her famous potato salad, Jack would run the grill, Sharpay volunteered Zeke to make what she referred to as "that orgasmic dish that he always makes", and- to Troy and Chad's delight- Maria volunteered her brownies.

"_Did you hear that, Dude?" Chad asked Troy excitedly, after Maria made her announcement._

"_Maria's brownies..." Troy said with a gleam in his eye, causing a smack to his arm from Gabriella._

"_These boys will never grow up, will they?" she asked the other women in the group._

"_I can't speak for Judy Danforth, but I know neither of mine have!" Lucille told her as she eyed her husband- whose mouth was hanging open- causing the remaining four women to laugh._

"_Well, I can speak for Judy and hers hasn't, either!" Taylor told her._

_The ladies continued their joking with the knowledge that the guys were oblivious._

Gabriella and Troy joined hands and left the courthouse together made the trip to Alana's school to pick her up early and the trio spent an hour at the park- with Troy's inner child coming out as he played with Gabriella's younger counterpart- before going back to Jack and Lucille's.

When they got there, most everyone else had already arrived. The ladies were in the kitchen while the men turned on Sports Center, with Jack going between the living room and the backyard. Gabriella set Alana up in the living room with her crayons and a stack of paper. She got Troy's attention and signaled to the young child. Lucille watched as her adult son and his on-again girlfriend carried on their silent conversation, with Troy agreeing that he would keep an eye on Alana while Gabriella was in the kitchen with the ladies. Even at the age of five and a half, her daughter was acquiring her own identity and becoming interested in sports- although Gabriella would tell you that that was from spending extensive time with Troy. At any rate, Gabriella was glad of the influence that he was having on her daughter's life.

"He's good with her."

Gabriella heard the softened voice practically whisper in her ear and turned to see Lucille standing next to her. She gave a soft smile to the older woman and turned her focus back to Alana in the other room with the men again and her smile faded from happy to pensive as she watched Troy sit next to Alana and the two shared a page in her coloring book, carrying on a conversation like it was the most natural thing in the world. Gabriella's mind wandered to the _what if_ area where it sometimes went- more often than not as of late- where her daughter and Troy were concerned. The two adults had had many conversations about that topic and he always told her the same thing every time.

"_I love that little girl as if she was my own. I never want to take the place of her real dad, but it's my hope that one day I'm allowed to be a father figure to her and be a part of her life forever."_

Regardless of how hard she tried to prevent it in the early stages of rebuilding their relationship, Gabriella found herself falling in love with Troy all over again. She knew however, that this time it wasn't just her life that was being affected. She was now responsible for two lives and she made sure he knew that from the get-go. After passing the proverbial tests that he had been put through regarding his relationship with Alana, Gabriella knew preventing herself from falling in love with him again was hopeless and within three months, the three of them were finding themselves interacting as any normal family would. Troy made it a priority that Alana be included in many of his dates with Gabriella, but he also made sure that the two of them got their adult time as well.

"No, he's not good with her," Gabriella corrected Lucille. "He's amazing with her."

"What are you thinking?" Lucille asked her.

"I'm thinking how much I adore watching the two of them together and every time they're together, I get a glimpse of..." Gabriella stopped and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat before starting again. "Lucille, is it crazy for me to admit that I can see certain milestones in her future and I see _him_ there? Like he's a part of her- of _our-_ lives ten or fifteen years from now?"

"I know exactly what you mean. Can I tell you secret?" When Gabriella looked at her again, Lucille continued. "He's admitted to Jack and I the same thing on several different occasions."

Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This was a new piece of information for her. "Really?"

Lucille nodded and walked off when she spotted Troy and Alana approaching. Gabriella opened her arms to catch her rambunctious daughter as she threw herself into her mom's arms.

"There's my Angel Face!" Gabriella greeted her with a kiss to her cheek. "You and Troy looked pretty deep in conversation over there. Whatcha been talking about?"

"I can't tell you. It was a secret," Alana told her in her five year old voice. "Mommy, can I have a brownie?" she asked as she instantly changed the subject.

"Why don't you wait until after we eat, please?"

"Okay," she agreed, climbing free from Gabriella's arms and running to her grandmother. "Nonnie, can I have a brownie?"

"Did I not just answer that question?" Gabriella asked Troy as he approached, flabbergasted, receiving a chuckle from him in response.

"Yes, you did," he started as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her to him so her back was flush against his front. "But her Nonnie didn't."

Gabriella rubbed her hands up and down his arms and smirked. "That girl has every single person in this house so wrapped around her pinkie! Her Nonnie, you, her Grandpa Jack, Grammy Lucille-"

"Chad," Troy supplied.

"Especially Chad! Come to think of it, everyone except me! Hmm... imagine that!"

The two laughed at the sight of Alana trying to sweet talk Maria into giving up a piece of her chocolaty goodness before dinner, despite Gabriella's wishes. Just as Maria was about to give in and take a brownie from the pan, Jack announced that the grilling was done and everyone gathered to fix their plates for dinner.

Everyone sat around the back patio enjoying the buffet style dinner meal that Lucille had coordinated with last minute notice in celebration of Gabriella winning her custody case. It was a perfect mood with everyone talking, laughing and joking as they ate. As the sun started to set and cast a golden blanket across the sky, Troy, Jack, Zeke, and Chad took Alana out to the basketball court and helped her by lifting her in the air as she shot the orange ball, trying to make some baskets. After a while of playing, the guys called a time out to get a drink of water and Troy pulled Alana aside to have a moment of one-on-one conversation with her.

"Hey, what's he doing over there?" Gabriella asked as she walked back outside from getting a Capri Sun from the refrigerator inside.

"I'm not sure," Chad answered. "He usually tells me everything, but this time... Oh, my God."

Chad's eyes grew wide as he watched Troy reaching into his pocket and placed something small to Alana's palm and there was a collective gasp throughout the group as they, too, watched Troy and Alana interacting in the back corner of the concrete basketball court. Gabriella was the only one out of the group who wasn't watching as she had looked down to the table beside her to put the drink down.

"Now," they all heard Troy tell Alana and watched as she started running up to Gabriella.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Alana yelled out across the backyard as she came running in Gabriella's direction.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" she asked, turning to face her overly excited child and sitting down. Alana finally reached her mom's location and bent over at the waist, placing her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing, Alana?" Sharpay asked her.

"I'm trying to catch my breath from all of my exercise," the youngster said while breathing hard. "This has to work because it works for Chad and Zeke all the time. If it works for them, it _has_ to work for me. They're smart and know all kinds of stuff."

The rest of the group laughed while Sharpay, Taylor, and Gabriella all rolled their eyes. "Yeah, right," Taylor muttered.

"Anyway..." Gabriella said with her voice still laced with laughter. "What has you so excited?"

"I have to ask you something," Alana said, suddenly turning serious as she held her hands behind her back, very clearly hiding something.

"And what would that be?" Gabriella asked her, noticing out of the corner of her eye as Troy slowly started walking in their direction.

Alana pulled her right hand from behind her back and held it in front of her mom's face as she opened it, revealing a small sparkling, elegant diamond ring, encased in white gold.

"Can we marry Troy?"

Gabriella's eyes grew wide with her daughter's words and turned her attention over Alana's head when she saw a hand land on the youngster's shoulder. Troy had joined the group on the patio and reached for Gabriella's hand to help her stand from her seat, as he leaned down to pick up Alana and held her in his arms. He ignored the shocked look on Gabriella's face as he began his practiced speech.

"Gabriella, even in high school, I knew that you and I had something very special. We unfortunately hit a bump in the road and both of us went in different directions, with life giving us different things to deal with. But it was God that brought us back together almost a year ago. You came blowing back into town like a sand storm, and thereby back into my life. You finally let me not only back into your life, but into your beautiful daughter's life as well. I can't imagine a more perfect person to continue a family with and have a fresh start with. It's time that we both put our past mistakes and relationships behind us and look to the future, together." Troy paused as he handed Alana to Maria, who took her and held her granddaughter in her lap. He then turned to face Gabriella again and knelt down on one knee, taking her left hand in his right. "Gabriella, I love you more and more every day and I love Alana as if she was my own. I want to have more babies with you. I want to be there for Alana's first day of school. I want to be there for her prom. I want to be there for her high school graduation. And I want to be there with you, by your side, as your husband. Gabriella," he paused as he reached over to take the ring from Alana, finally giving Gabriella a closer look at it, "will you marry me and make my life complete finally?"

"Yes!" she said without hesitation. She'd wanted to be Mrs. Troy Bolton for over twelve years. Ever since she left her husband in Page, Arizona, and moved back to Albuquerque, had regretted accepting Cade's marriage proposal. He was never the right one and Gabriella knew that. But her time with him was a learning experience. She and Troy both needed that time apart to grow and learn. They finally reached their "forever" time together. In that moment, her heart and head agreed unanimously. She didn't need to think twice about her answer to this proposal.

"I will most definitely marry you, Troy! I love you so much!"

Troy wasted no time slipping the ring onto her finger as the party on the patio broke out in applause and cheers and whistles.

"It's about damn time!" Zeke shouted, receiving a smack on the arm from Sharpay.

"Language, Zeke! There's a little one here!"

The excitement level on the patio increased tremendously and Lucille excused herself to get a bottle of wine. She emerged with the wine and glasses and filled everyone's glass for a toast. When everyone had a glass in their hands, Jack cleared his throat.

"This moment has been one we've been waiting on for a long time. The two of you hit some pretty nasty waters and I think I can speak on behalf of Lucille- and Maria-" he paused with a nod in Maria's direction, who swiped at her moist eyes in response "when I say thank God you two found your way again! Gabriella, Lucille and I welcome you into the family. You really are the daughter that we've never had and we both love you very much. Alana, you bring so much joy and laughter in our house. You make me feel young again and I can't wait to watch you grow up and become a very beautiful young lady. Troy, Son, you're mother and I have raised you, hoping that one day you will find the one person in life who completes you. And you've done that. In fact, Gabriella completes you so much that I often think you two are the same person. We love you, Son, and we couldn't be more happy for you. Congratulations, you three."

"I just want to say that I am so thankful to you," Gabriella started, focusing on Troy as she spoke and rubbed her thumb against his cheek before she leaned up to give him a soft kiss "for picking me up when I needed it most. You knew when I needed a kick in the rear, you knew when I needed cheering up, you knew when I needed a sounding board. You've been my life support on more than one occasion and I couldn't thank you more. You've taken my daughter and accepted her into your life and that in and of itself won me over. I can never show you enough how much I love you, nor will I get tired of trying to do so." Gabriella wiped her eyes before continuing with her speech, as Troy leaned down to place a kiss to her forehead.

"And I'm so glad that you guys are in my life again," she said as she turned to face the rest of the crowd. "You've all been there for me through this nightmare for the past year. I never thought that I would have to find out firsthand that 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'. But I've been that friend 'in need' did and you guys have stepped up more than once. I can never thank you enough."

One by one the group gave their congratulations to the newly engaged couple. Finally, Alana got her turn as she poked Troy in the hip.

"Troy?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Does this mean I'm getting a brother or sister soon?"

Gabriella's eyes grew big while the rest of the group laughed at the child's innocence. As Troy and Gabriella both blushed and smiled at each other he picked up Gabriella's daughter again and looked into her little brown eyes. "Mommy and I need to talk about that before I make any promises," he rested his forehead against Alana's smaller one before whispering to her, "but I sure hope so!"


End file.
